Yard Visitors and More Painting of Miniatures

It’s been another hot week here, thus resulting in a lot of painting time. However, regardless of the heat, we’ve still managed to enjoy eating most of our meals on our screen porch, especially with the fan running. The visitors at the feeders and bird bath in secret garden at these times have been at a minimum though, as I think everyone must be somewhere trying to keep cool. In the mornings, however, I have quite a few visitors that come and enjoy their peanut crunchies and peanut butter bread treats.

One of our lovely male Hummingbirds keeping watch from the stick tree.

The hummingbirds are coming regularly throughout the day now, so they’re keeping me quite busy with making nectar and refilling feeders. There’s one female in particular that has become quite possessive of the feeder on the back deck and continually dive bombs any bird, be it Chickadee, Titmouse or any other that comes and sits on the stick tree trying to eat their peanut crunchies in peace. She continues chasing them all over the tree until she has successfully chased them off. They just look at her like “What is your problem?” as they’re trying their best to ignore her relentless attacks. This is proof once again that sometimes dynamite comes in small packages!

Precious "Scarlett" the Chipmunk enjoying her share of the peanut crunchies.

We are so happy to be seeing a couple of bunnies out and about in our yard again. We’re thinking that one might be nesting in one of our asparagus beds. Although we haven’t personally seen them lately, there’s evidence between the muddy birdbaths some mornings and the “scattered scat” piles along the path, that the raccoons are still visiting our yard at night. Little “Scarlett” as we have come to call her is once again returning to the top deck on some days, to get her share of the peanut crunchies. This precious chipmunk has a scar on the left side of her face, hence her name. She has been one of our favorite residents for several years now and appears to be doing as good as ever!

"Uncle Don" by Wes, measures 2¾ inches.

Wes finished his miniature portrait “Uncle Don” this past week. This is one of one our dear friends that seems like family to us, hence the title. This painting was done from one of the photos we took of Don during one of our past visits to his place in North Carolina.

Currently on the easels: I’m continuing to paint on an interior still life of tobacco hung up to dry, accompanied by a few other things like an old straw hat, basket, and copper lantern all being lit nicely by a flood of warm sunlight that’s streaming through a large window. This miniature is being done from a beautiful photo that my Dad took during our recent visit to Locust Grove, while we were in Indiana on vacation last month. Wes is currently painting on a miniature of a Coot which he is doing from another photo taken while we were in Florida last January.

I continue to hope that you all are keeping cool, as many of us eagerly look forward to the cooler weather of fall!

About the Siegrists

We live in Townsend, TN, by the Great Smoky Mountains. It’s a beautiful area that we enjoy by spending time most days walking, riding bikes, or taking an occasional hike in the park. We also greatly enjoy working in our flower and vegetable gardens in season, and feeding the critters. We specialize in miniature paintings. To discover more about us, our paintings and our historic museum touring exhibition visit our website at artofwildlife.com.